


'Cause Baby You're A Firework

by xLoveMx



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, New Years Celebration, Njord - Freeform, What else is new, fjeth, they're being dumb, vjord
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:55:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28574859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xLoveMx/pseuds/xLoveMx
Summary: Somewhere down below she could hear the muffled voices of people counting down from ten, imagine as they shuffled closer to their loved ones and, if there was no one to kiss as midnight, raising their glasses to ring in the new year with some more alcohol. Veth and Fjord had neither, with both their glasses empty where they were left on the balcony railing.
Relationships: Fjord/Nott | Veth Brenatto
Comments: 6
Kudos: 19





	'Cause Baby You're A Firework

**Author's Note:**

> The Fjeth server asks, and I deliver :P ( a few days late, but oh well )

„That’s a dumb tradition,“ Fjord huffed as he leaned against the balcony, his eyes turned away from Veth and towards the city they were overlooking. They were all ringing in the new year at the Lavish Chateau, where Jester’s mother was performing through the night while everyone else got positively drunk off their ass.

Veth wasn’t drunk, she could hold her liquor quite well, and yet it was a little easier to flirt with Fjord, mainly because he got more flustered the more he drank. He stumbled over his words just a little, like his brain was trying to catch up with what he was trying to say but failing miserably. It was cute, and even though she would have never admitted that out loud, Veth had knew that it was true.

“It’s not dumb. You’re just saying that because you’ve never done it.” She chuckled, taking a sip of her drink as she mirrored him, leaning against the balcony. All of their friends were still downstairs, or so she assumed anyway, but Veth had found herself seeking him out when he had made his way upstairs, for reason she also wasn’t going to admit out loud. Not to him anyway. Teasing and arguing with him made her feel a certain way though, like she was coming alive again in a different way, and it had become even more enjoyable ever since he had started playing along and pushing back.

“How would you know what I’ve done and haven’t done?” He shot back, and Veth could tell that she had hit a nerve, not only by the way he responded, but also because he had downed the rest of his drink in one go, eyes still avoiding contact with hers.

“Because I can see you blushing from a mile away,” She then chuckled, watching as he rolled his eyes at her, hands still clasped around the empty glass.

“You’re right next to me, Veth. I don’t think that counts.”

It was fun, teasing him, and even though she would have never admitted to it, Veth sometimes wondered if he knew just how much she enjoyed it. Would he be reacting the way he did if he didn’t know? Was it his natural reaction, or did he play along for her sake? Whatever it was, Veth was glad that he hadn’t turned her back on her yet, or even just decided to go back to the party. He wasn’t the type for it, really. He fit in very well and asking anyone they would have told you he was right where he was supposed to be, but she knew better. As well as he could make himself fit it, she could tell that all he really wanted right now was to be on the deck of a ship. It was the reason he had come up here, just to get a glimpse of the ocean in the distance, and while Veth still wouldn’t consider herself a fan of water, she understood the yearning for something that was such an essential part of you that it was hard to shake the thought of it.

“Besides, there’s lots of traditions you can follow. Like I heard about one where you eat a grape for every stroke of the clock at midnight. If you manage to eat all of them then you’re supposed to be in luck for the next year,”

“And you’re calling my tradition dumb?” Veth raised an eyebrow at him, placing her empty glass on the railing of the balcony. “At least that one is actually dumb. Unless you want to see someone choke to death on a bunch of grapes. You know what, Beau might actually find that funny, want me to get her?”

She could see the way his lips curved into a slight smile and followed suit. Sometimes she wondered why it was so easy to mess with him. Was it because of the way he reacted? Or because neither of them actually took it seriously, so there was no harm to it? No danger of actually catching any feelings? If she spent too much time thinking about it, her head started spinning, and Veth knew she’d be wading into dangerous territory of not quite being able to let the whole thing pass as fun, because it was fun, of course it was, but it also followed her into her dreams sometimes.

She would have never told anyone about the way he often appeared in her mind when she was asleep, especially after a particularly exhausting day, when she couldn’t be bothered to direct her thoughts elsewhere, not quite able to deny herself the pleasure to enjoy that simple fragment of her imagination. She was just a woman after all.

“So what if I’ve never kissed anyone on New Year’s?” His voice was quieter now, and Veth glanced back up at him, not surprised that he still couldn’t meet her eye. “It’s not like that was ever the most important thing on my mind.” And suddenly she found herself wondering if he had ever been in love at all. For most of them, life had been about survival up until this point. Caleb had been in love before, she knew as much, and while Beau was definitely sexually experienced Veth doubted that she had ever been in love before meeting Yasha, so it wasn’t unlikely that Fjord had never been in love or had even let anyone close enough to try.

For a moment she wondered if anyone would come looking for them if they weren’t back down at the bar by midnight, or if they would just assume that they were somewhere in the crowd. While she was looking forward to a hug from everyone, she couldn’t quite bring herself to suggest that they should go find the others, especially not if Fjord wasn’t going to either.

“I never said that it mattered,” She eventually spoke up again, “You were the one who called it a dumb tradition.” Somewhere down below she could hear the muffled voices of people counting down from ten, imagined as they shuffled closer to their loved ones and, if there was no one to kiss as midnight, raising their glasses to ring in the new year with some more alcohol.

Veth and Fjord had neither, with both their glasses empty where they were left on the balcony railing. Later she’d be thinking about that second between one and zero, that moment right before the fireworks had gone off, illuminating the coastal town beneath. By eight she had wondered if It would have been smarter to go downstairs, even if it was just to fill up her drink, and by five she had thrown the idea out, because ringing in the new year alone in some corridor while everyone else was celebrating sounded to depressing, even for her. By three she had glanced up to find Fjord looking at her for the first time since she had stepped out onto the balcony next to him, and by two her brain had caught up enough to form words, but they hadn’t quite made it past her lips.

“I still think it’s dumb.” She heard the words muttered as the countdown went from one to zero and then Fjord’s lips were on hers. It took Veth a moment to catch up, distantly hearing the cheering from below and the fireworks above them, but not of it really mattered in that moment. Her hands came up to tangle in his shirt, pulling him down closer and keeping him in place as they kissed, a little sloppy maybe, but enough to make her heart stumble nevertheless.

“You sure about that?” She eventually found herself replying with a chuckle as they pulled apart, and there was something about the way that Fjord was blushing, and ducking his head just a little, that made her feel like this year might just turn out to be fine, whatever it was they were going to face.

“Shut up.” He then muttered again, though his lips were curved into a smile, and Veth found herself laughing in return.

“Happy New Year to you, too.”


End file.
